BREAKING: Army arrests another Boko Haram kingpin

ABUJA, (CAJ News) – THE Nigerian Army says it has arrested another Boko Haram kingpin and uncovered a weapons-manufacturing factory run by the insurgents in Borno State.

Army Spokesperson, Sani Usman, said troops of the Seventh Division Garrison of the Nigerian Army engaged in Operation Lafiya Dole had made remarkable progress by arresting the alleged terrorist kingpin, John Trankil, at Kasuwar Shanu in Maiduguri metropolis.

With the arrest of Trankil, Usman said, the troops averted multiple bombings in Maiduguri, the Borno state capital.

“Preliminary investigation revealed that the suspect said that nine of them were sneaked into the Maiduguri armed with AK 47 assault rifle each and a Hilux vehicle laden with 20 Improvised Explosive Devices meant to be detonated at some selected targets in the city,” said Usman.

He said in a related development, troops of 21 Brigade Nigerian Army, while on offensive operations on Boko Haram terrorists location, with the support from the Nigerian Airforce, discovered and destroyed the terrorists’ Improvised Explosive Device (IED) and rocket making factory along Bama-Gonin Kurmi within the outskirts of Bama town, Borno State.

Usman said the items recovered include gas cylinders, welding machine, pipes and poles.

Others include locally made rocket shells, large quantity of assorted chemicals, unprimed IEDs and various technical and laboratory equipment suspected to be stolen from schools’ laboratories around Bama before they were dislodged from the area.

“The Theatre Commander operation LAFIYA DOLE, Major General Yusha’u Mahmood Abubakar, commended the efforts of the troops and renewed calls for troops and the public to be more vigilant and security conscious
particularly at all check points, markets, worship centres, motor parks and schools,” said Usman.